Smith in salute to Dragons' band of gold fans

WREXHAM manager Denis Smith has paid tribute to the 104 supporters who travelled to Cambridge on Tuesday night to support his side just 48 hours after their FA Cup exit at the hands on non-League Hereford United.

WREXHAM manager Denis Smith has paid tribute to the 104 supporters who travelled to Cambridge on Tuesday night to support his side just 48 hours after their FA Cup exit at the hands on non-League Hereford United.

He was delighted that the diehard fans witnessed a 2-0 victory at the Abbey Stadium, Wrexham's first since the 3-2 success at Wigan Athletic a month ago.

Insisting he had never lost faith, despite a run of six straight defeats, Smith said: "Even if we had lost, I would have said that we would go on and win however many games it takes because I don't get down if we lose a match.

"But from the fans' point of view it was important. Those who turned up tonight are the ones who deserve a pat on the back.

"We've just got beaten in the Cup and they've gone to Cambridge on a Tuesday night in November, which is brilliant and we thank them for that. My morale has not changed but now everyone is smiling and that's the main thing. There is no use in me being positive if I can't get everyone else going along with me."

And the Dragons' boss also praised his players for a battling performance that lifted Wrexham from the foot of the second division.

"I told the lads they have got to win games against teams down at the bottom with us and so this was an important victory," he added. "I thought we deserved it because we were in control for the majority of the time. We dealt with what they've got, which is hard, and I thought Steve Roberts was immense for a young lad. I think he became a man out there because he stood up to a real battering and came out of it really well."

Although central defender Keith Hill missed the second half because of a back injury, his replacement Denis Lawrence also came up trumps, said Smith.

"Then we had Denis, who came on and gave a performance as well, so those are the sort of things that are pleasing. We had good performances all around when we were under pressure but we knew that would happen. They are a big, strong physical side who get the ball in the box and I thought beforehand I didn't have enough big lads to cope.

"But when players like Jim Whitley do a job against a big lad, that's brilliant and shows a lot of character. I said at half-time that I expected us to go on and win the game. I knew that if we kept a clean sheet we would get the chances.

"Kristian Rogers didn't really have a shot to save but he was sharp in the first half when he dived at the lad's feet and he was on his toes throughout the game.

The young lads have done well for me - the likes of Gibson and Roberts and Rogers - while the experienced players have done their jobs."

Smith admitted that Lee Trundle's performance at the Abbey Stadium, where he was a constant threat and won the penalty which Darren Ferguson scored before setting up Wrexham's second goal for Craig Faulconbridge, demonstrated how much he was missed at Edgar Street on Sunday.

But he added: "There's a lot of times I want to strangle him and he's got a long way to go. He's not the finished article but he does do the unexpected and that's what the supporters and myself want to see. But there are a lot of things he does wrong, which we've got to get out of his game."

Wrexham now look ahead to an allticket home clash on Saturday against Stoke City. There will be no ticket sales on the day and fans have until close of business on Friday to buy in advance. The visitors are expected to bring up to 3,000 fans.